


lovely, made from love.

by paleromantic, tylerscreamingintothevoid



Series: to build a home. [1]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Aaron is a good brother, Dysphoria, F/M, Gender Dysphoria, Infertility, M/M, Mostly Fluff, Trans Andrew Minyard, Trans Pregnancy, andrew and neil have a baby, andrew is a little softer than in canon, neil loves andrew sm, pregnant andrew, slight angst, struggles with infertility, the foxes are happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-11
Updated: 2018-09-11
Packaged: 2019-07-11 05:08:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15965363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paleromantic/pseuds/paleromantic, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tylerscreamingintothevoid/pseuds/tylerscreamingintothevoid
Summary: "I kind of... Neil, stay sitting." Andrew stood across from him, bare toes digging into the carpet beneath him. Aaron decided to emerge from the bathroom then, and Neil looked at him as he took his seat again."What's... what's going on?""Neil... I'm..." He paused, tugging his sleeves down and counting to five in his head, the way Bee had taught him. "Okay, I'm pregnant. Okay?"





	lovely, made from love.

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Isn't she lovely, by Stevie Wonder. Enjoy, and don't forget to read the tags!!!

_Dearest Aaron-_

No.

_Aaron, can you-_

Nope.

_Hey-_

That's not it.

Andrew set his phone down on his lap. He sighed and stared at the last messages exchanged between the two of them. Just simple requests for exchanges of notes between the two of them. A couple of texts here and there relating to their joint sessions with Bee. In all honesty, texting Bee would probably be a good idea too. It was tough for Andrew to stomach the news he'd just gotten, what with being in his final year of college and all, and a therapist would probably be able to help him to sort through the various things he was feeling. He set his feet down on the bathroom tiles, trying to regain his composure.

_Come over, stat._

He hit send. Aaron would be over soon, and he would be able to help.

Aaron was completely swamped with deadlines and finals, and it was almost twenty minutes before he made the relatively short trip from Katelyn's dorm room to where Andrew was. Andrew could hear him outside, asking Neil where he was, and a confused Neil explaining that Andrew had gone to the bathroom and not come out.

Andrew reached over to the bathroom door from where he sat on the ground, having to stretch a little to reach the key and unlock it. "Aaron? Come in."

He heard the floorboard creak outside, and then Aaron opened the door, frowning.  "What the fuck, Andrew? Why is Josten looking like a kicked puppy outside while you’re hiding in here?"

"Shut up, shut up," said Andrew, his voice shaking just slightly, "Come here."

Aaron blinked, and then looked concerned rather than annoyed. "Are you okay?"

Andrew held his hand out, a small, long object laying flat on his palm. "Tell me what I'm looking at here is wrong.”

Aaron took the stick from him, and then looked up at him, before staring at it. "Oh... fuck, Andrew. You're pregnant?"

"I didn't think I could..." Andrew let his head thump back against the side of the shower, before turning to get up. "Aaron, I need to get an abortion," he mumbled as he rose to his feet, "as soon as possible, I can't do this, Aaron, Aaron I can't-"

“Andrew.” The man fell silent as Aaron turned the test over in his hand. “Have you told Neil yet? I'm assuming not."

He put the stick down on the sink and then washed his hands quickly. “He’s worried about you, dude. It’s a little cruel to keep him out there when…”

Andrew nodded, trying valiantly to keep up his usual expressionless demeanour, and failing miserably. After a few seconds, he gave up and let out a soft whimper. "How do I stop this, Aaron I don't know what to do..."

"Andrew." Aaron took off his hoodie and gave it to the him, since he'd been sitting in the cold bathroom for a while. He didn't often see Andrew shaken, so he didn't really know what to do. "You need to tell Neil, you can't stay in here forever."

"I know. I know." Andrew shook his head. "I didn't think I could get… I’m supposed to be infertile."

For some reason, Andrew was worried Aaron would be disappointed in him. He shoved that back down and shook his head. That was stupid, he didn’t care what Aaron thought of him before, he wasn’t about to start now.

Aaron nodded. "It shouldn't have been possible, since your hormones... You should have been fine without protection."

It was weird for Andrew to talk about his sex life with his brother, but they didn't really have much choice. So much for being distant from each other.

"It was only a couple times, too, I don’t…" Andrew groaned. "Aaron, what do I do?"

Aaron sighed, and then took out his phone. "Talk to Neil, and I can get Abby for you? I wouldn't book anything drastic right now, not until you've had time to think."

"I guess, yeah… Thanks." Andrew pulled Aaron's hoodie on and left the bathroom, holding his own phone so tight that his knuckles started to turn white.

Aaron watched him leave, before looking at the sink and texting Katelyn that he might be a while. Neil was outside, waiting on the couch and fiddling with his sweatpants drawstrings. When he saw Andrew, though, he got to his feet immediately.

"Neil? Hah- Neil," Andrew shoved his hands as deep as the pockets in the hoodie would allow and swallowed both the butterflies and the wave of nausea, "Neil, hi, Neil."

Neil’s face was tight with concern, and he frowned a little. "Are you alright? You look ill."

"I kind of... Neil, stay sitting." Andrew stood across from him, bare toes digging into the carpet beneath him. Aaron decided to emerge from the bathroom then, and Neil looked at him as he took his seat again.

"What's... what's going on?"

"Neil... I'm..." He paused, tugging his sleeves down and counting to five in his head, the way Bee had taught him. "Okay, I'm pregnant. Okay?"

He fidgeted anxiously with the sleeves of the hoodie before pushing them back up past his elbows, out of his way. "I'm pregnant."

Neil paled considerably, and then blinked. "You're... I thought you couldn't get pregnant?"

"I thought so too, but apparently modern medicine is a sham. Neil, you're... we're... going to be dads. Do you want to be? I don't know if I'm ready. I don't think I am. It's a lot, and I threw up so damn much, and-"

He paused when he felt Neil hold onto his sleeve, and swallowed the rest of his nervous rambling. "Sorry. Speak. You can, I mean."

Neil tugged him down onto the couch., and seemed to search for words. Andrew could see he was on the verge of a panic attack, but he was doing pretty well in hiding it. "I... fuck, I'm so sorry Andrew. Whatever you want to do, I... fuck. I'll support you, whatever you want to do."

"Don't be sorry. Are you- are you going to break up with me if I keep it? If I get rid of it?" Andrew’s voice cracked unfortunately, and he gritted his teeth in annoyance.

Neil looked at him like he had grown two heads, and Aaron retreated back into the privacy of the bathroom. "Why the fuck would I break up with you over either of those?"

Andrew ran a hand through his hair, pulling it lightly. “You know why, Josten. It's a lot of damn responsibility, either way."

Neil squeezed Andrew's hand gently, and then interlocked their fingers. "If you don't want to have it, then we deal with it. If you do, then… we deal with it. I want you to be comfortable, Andrew..."

"It's your choice too. What do _you_ want?"

Neil faltered, a little. "I... I never thought I'd have kids."

_Translation: He wants it._

"I didn't either." Andrew pulled their joined hands onto his lap, and played with Neil’s fingers. “Although, I suppose we didn’t think we’d get to do a lot of things.”

"Do you think we're ready for that?" Neil watched him. "You'd have to stop playing exy, your classes..."

"Oh, that's a shame. I really love exy, and classes. Wowza." Andrew rolled his eyes, and Neil shoved him gently.

"Shut up, I'm serious! You might have to repeat the year, Drew."

"I can do the classes, I still have… 9 months is a long time."

Neil caught his lip between his teeth and then pushed back Andrew's hair, dropping a kiss to his forehead. "I was so worried..."

Andrew’s hand absentmindedly drifted towards his stomach, making slow circles, and he hummed in response. "I can still do my classes... I won't let this uproot anything."

Neil nodded and chuckled. "You're too stubborn for that."

Andrew rolled his eyes. "So, what now?"

Aaron stepped out of the bathroom, having clearly been eavesdropping. "I called Abby, she's on her way over now."

Neil nodded. "Can you tell Coach we won't be a practice today too?"

Andrew had paled a little and regained that distant look in his eyes, and he wasn't paying attention to anything either of them said. Neil squeezed his arm gently, and Aaron looked awkward as he nodded.  "I'll come back later, Andrew. If you want, I mean?"

"Okay."

Neil kissed his hair, nuzzling a little. "Do you want to go to bed, love?"

"Uhm, sure." It didn't happen too often, but Neil could tell when Andrew just sort of short circuited. He was scratching at his hands, and staring into space as he spoke.

Neil wrapped his arms around him gently, carrying him into their bedroom and kissing his forehead. "Ice cream? Andrew, do you want me to get you ice cream?"

Andrew blinked, then shook his head, turning to look at his boyfriend. "Oh, yeah, I'd like ice cream."

Neil chuckled softly and then went to get it for him, wrapping it in a cloth so it wouldn't hurt Andrew's hands too much. It was sweet how badly Neil wanted to take care of him, and it made Andrew’s chest contract warmly.

He bit his lip and put the towel down, rolling the pint between his hands for a while before rewrapping it and taking the lid off. "You're good to me, Josten."

"Yeah? I'd hope so." Neil smiled and tugged the blanket up over Andrew's legs, pressing a quick kiss to his forehead. "Do you need anything else?"

Andrew shrugged and put his spoon into his mouth. Neil nodded and then settled beside him, only moving when they heard the doorbell ring. He disappeared into the front room, and Andrew drew up his legs, shoving more ice cream into his mouth.

Abby followed Neil back in, and her gaze softened when she saw Andrew. "Andrew? What's wrong, sweetie?"

Andrew shivered and then put down his pint of ice cream, pushing the spoon into it for later. "Oh, Abby, you won't believe it."

She raised an eyebrow and glanced at Neil, who pressed his lips together. "What is it?"

"So, you know how I shouldn't be able to get pregnant?" Andrew smudged his hand over his mouth and leaned back, tugging the blanket up again.

Abby blinked, and then straightened up, her professionalism coming to the forefront. "Yes?"

"Apparently that was... presumptuous. I've been feeling sick, and someone I was talking to said I should... take a test."

She just stared at him, and he sighed heavily. “I’m fucking pregnant, Abby.”

There was a few seconds of silence, as she processed it. “I was under the impression that you had been using protection.”

"We've been doing it without condoms for maybe a month now." Andrew's bluntness made Neil's cheeks warm, going a bright red. He still hadn’t gotten used to talking to medical professionals, so it was weird for him to have everything laid out for her. “I assumed the testosterone could handle it.”

Abby chuckled. "You know, condoms are for more than birth control, Andrew. There are other methods that can help with mood swings, acne, cramps-"

“I know, I know. Now, can we get back on topic? As in, the baby.” Andrew flicked at a stray piece of fluff on his shirt, and then took Neil’s hand.

"I think you're probably 2 to 3 weeks pregnant, since you haven’t had any symptoms, and you’re not showing at all. I can test that at my office later, when we schedule a proper appointment, but that’s probably how far along you are. Either way, you're going to have to be careful not to overstrain yourself, and no more Exy practice until after the baby is born. Have you told David yet?"

“I haven't told _David_ yet. But I will, next time I get the chance." Andrew smirked at her and then shrugged. “Or you can, since you’re so close.”

Wymack and Abby had finally admitted to their relationship, but that hadn’t stopped the Foxes from mocking them, much to their dismay.

Abby smirked. "I see fatherhood hasn't improved your manners, Andrew."

"I'll just tell him and be done with it. He has his own kid related problems anyway, he doesn't need mine too."

Neil hummed and squeezed his hand gently. "The rest of the team are going to be unbearable, though."

"Thank you, Abby. And yeah, I'm... I don't want them to know yet."

Abby nodded. "You have a month or two before they really start to notice."

"Will it be that obvious?" Andrew frowned slightly, his hand going back to his stomach and clenching in his- _Neil’s_ \- hoodie.

She grinned. "You've seen pregnant people before, surely."

Neil smirked. "We could tell them all the ice cream finally caught up with him."

Andrew smacked him on the back of the head gently, and glared. "Or I could just... avoid them for nine months."

Neil laughed. "I think they'd notice that too, babe."

"I could be stealthy."

Abby chuckled, and then patted Andrew's hand. "You really couldn't. Call David, and I'll be back tomorrow with some vitamins and a diet plan, and my testing kit. Oh, and congratulations, by the way."

Andrew nodded slowly. "Okay. Okay, thanks. Goodbye. You... helped."

Abby smiled softly and pulled her cardigan closed. "I’m really glad, Andrew. If anyone can do this, you two can.”

 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

 

"You're kidding." Wymack’s voice was rough from lack of sleep, and he leaned against the doorframe. As per usual, Andrew had chosen to wake him up in the middle of the night to tell him. There was something to be said about consistency, at least.

"No. I wouldn't joke about something like this."

Wymack huffed, and then looked between them, scratching his scruffy beard. "How would you like me to handle this then? I'm assuming Abby has already..."

He trailed off and then gestured vaguely, making Neil snort quietly. Andrew nodded once. “We already have an appointment schedule.”

"What will I tell them you're benched for, then?"

"Just… tell them I contracted some sort of minorly worrying disease, or something. Or that I hurt myself on the pitch. I don't care. Get creative."

Wymack sighed. "You are such a little shit, Minyard. Fine, fine. You got swine flu, and you're benched for a couple weeks. That’ll give you time to get your shit handles."

Neil laughed, until Wymack threatened to bench him too, and then he fell silent. Andrew smirked. "Thanks coach. Swine flu is treating me great so far."

"Yeah, yeah, now fuck off and let me get back to sleep."

They were almost out when they heard him speak again. "Oh, and guys?"

"Hm?" Andrew didn't turn, but he did perk up.

"I'm happy for both of you."

Neil smiled softly. "Thanks, Coach."

Andrew went pink and nodded before leaving, putting his hands into his hoodie pocket to protect them from the cold.

Neil chuckled softly. "You're so cute, Drew."

"Shut your mouth, Josten."

"Yeah? Make me."

Andrew flicked Neil's arm and groaned. "Just shut it."

Neil kissed him on the cheek and hummed, before suddenly snorting. "You're gonna have to give up smoking for 9 months."

"Don’t fucking remind me.

Neil rolled his eyes at him. "Roof? It’s almost sunrise."

“Sure, but I’m keeping your hoodie.”

 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

 

It was movie night as usual in fox tower, and they had all piles into the girls' dorm to spend time together, Neil pulling Andrew to the couch right away. There was some debate over the movie, and, thanks to Renee's gentle suggesting, it was finally decided that Andrew would choose the movie that night.

Which was fine, really, until the remote was tossed towards his abdomen, hard enough to at least hurt, if it made contact with him. Time seemed to slow a little.

Andrew winced, motioning to grab it. "Wait-"

Neil did the same, managing to grab it before it hit. "Shit-"

Tim returned to normal, and they both looked up. The team was staring at them. "Uh, are you guys okay?"

"What? Yes. Don't throw shit at me," said Andrew, grabbing the remote and tossing it at Allison.

Neil swallowed, and then turned to Andrew, staring at him until he nodded slightly, signalling that he was okay.

"No seriously, you guys have been weird as fuck recently." Allison passed off the remote to Renee, who started to flick through the channels.

"We're not acting weird, you're acting weird throwing shit at us." Andrew rolled his eyes, and reached for the bowl of popcorn, straining just a little as he sat forward. Neil huffed and moved to pull it closer for him, earning him a grumpy noise in return.

"You’re not even sick, and Neil doesn’t care that you’re not playing Exy! Dude, it's weird." Kevin looked up from his phone at the mention of the sport, and he nodded his agreement. Andrew rolled his eyes.

"Plus, you're getting pudgy, dude." Allison added. “How much have you put on, twenty pounds?”

Andrew wrinkled his nose, and didn’t even grace that with a response, instead picking out the best pieces of popcorn, leaving the others for his boyfriend. Neil chewed his lip and frowned over at the upperclassmen. "He is not, Allison."

"Dude, yeah he is. It's the lack of exercise, right? He needs to get back into the gym."

"Yeah, the ice cream is getting to me. Eating my sorrows. Maybe next time you're taking a trip to Burger King," he said, gesturing to her figure, "invite me along, we can pig out together."

He was hoping that insulting her would throw her off of the scent. He was wrong.

She narrowed her eyes, looking between them. "What's going on."

Shit. "What?"

"You're both hiding something." Everyone was staring at them now, Aaron apologetically, the others curiously. Renee put a hand on Allison’s arm, probably to encourage her to drop the subject, but the woman shook it off.

"I'm not hiding anything."

"Bullshit."

Renee tilted her head, and then cleared her throat. "If Andrew doesn't want to tell us, he doesn't have to. Ultimately, it’s his choice."

"Fuck that." Allison smirked. "Spill."

"Shut up." Andrew sat back, sucking salt off his fingers and wiping his hand on his jeans. Allison grinned, vicious.

"Something getting to you, Minyard?"

"Just shut up."

"Tell me, and I will!" The other upperclassmen, plus Kevin and Nicky, were all looking at them, and Andrew could feel his patience wearing thin. Neil tried to warn her off too, but she was out for blood, with this one. Finally, Andrew had had enough.

"I'm fucking pregnant. Happy, Reynolds?"

Everyone other than Aaron and Neil froze, staring at him. He had the odd feeling of smugness at rendering them all speechless. Even Allison looked totally taken by surprise, and she had been the one to ask in the first place.

"You're..." Dan started, but didn't finish. Renee recovered the fastest, bless her heart, and smiled brilliantly at him.

"Congratulations, Andrew, Neil."

"And I'm keeping it, so." Andrew shrugged, and flicked a piece of popcorn at Neil, who rolled his eyes and put it into his mouth.

Kevin blinked. "You stopped playing Exy because you're pregnant?"

Matt looked dumbfounded. "How the fuck are you pregnant? You're a dude!"

It took him a few seconds, and a hard kick in the leg from his girlfriend before he realised where he had gone wrong. He widened his eyes. "Oh. Oh. You're pregnant!?"

"Yes."

Allison bit her lip, looking vaguely remorseful. "I'm... sorry for making fun of your weight, then, Minyard."

"Well, I'm not sorry for making fun of yours, so.” Andrew met her eyes, before looking back at his hands. She laughed, the tension finally broken, and then Dan seemed to get control of herself.

"That's really great, guys. You'll be good parents."

Some of the others looked a little less sure of that, but Dan seemed certain. Andrew tugged at the hem of his shirt, and then raised a pale eyebrow. "You think so?"

She nodded fiercely. "Your kid will be totally badass, and you know what not to do, at least."

He scoffed. "You'll be the cool aunt then."

She blinked, and then grinned brightly. "Thanks, Andrew."

Neil smiled and kissed him quickly, before cuddling into him, resting a hand on his stomach. Andrew let him, and then turned his attention to his brother.

"Mm. Aaron, you’re not going to congratulate me?"

Aaron rolled his eyes and locked his phone, meeting Andrew’s eyes. "I congratulated you a month ago when you told me, Andrew."

Nicky gasped, hand on his heart. "You told Aaron but not me? I thought we were family!"

"You’re not training to be a doctor, Nicky."

Nicky pouted. "But I'm going to be their cousin!"

Andrew shook his head and rubbed his stomach, sighing. "That's true, the poor unfortunate souls..."

Neil laughed, and Nicky pouted, crossing his arms. Andrew ignored him for the most part, and returned his attention to the movie playing silently on the television. Allison hummed quietly from where she sat, before speaking.

"We have to throw you a baby shower."

Andrew blinked. "What? No. That's not necessary."

"You think that us throwing a party and buying you shit isn’t necessary?"

"It's really not."

"Well too bad, we're doing it." Allison picked up her phone and started to type on it, no doubt already starting the long party planning process she was famed for. Andrew knew it would probably be a good party. All the more reason to not show up, then. "You need pregnancy stuff anyway!"

He huffed. "I can just buy that, Reynolds."

"Or you could let us get it for you." Allison wasn't backing down.

Andrew growled. "It's my baby, not yours. I wasn’t even planning on telling you."

"We're your friends, Andrew." It was Dan who spoke that time, the only reason that Andrew listened at all. “We want to be involved.”

"Neil, tell them to stop."

Neil looked at Allison, and she huffed, caving instantly against his icy blue puppy dog eyes. "Fine, whatever.  But we’re spoiling the kid, and you can’t stop us."

Andrew sighed, but shrugged, and didn’t speak again, the night slowly returning to normal around him.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Two hours sleep before he ended up hunched over the toilet again.

Andrew could hear Neil snoring in the bedroom, but pure spite kept him from waking him. He didn’t want to wake Neil up whenever he felt sick, the man got little enough sleep as it was, and he would be up in just a few hours to go for his stupid run anyway. They had been up late for night practice too, Andrew just sitting on the bench while Neil ran himself ragged on court. Still, he knew it was only a matter of time before Neil came to check on him. Fucking Junkie.

Eventually, he heard footsteps on the tiles, and then running water. He didn’t bother raising his head from where it rested on the toilet rim, just grunting out a greeting. "Fuck, Drew."

Andrew coughed up again, wiping his mouth and moaning groggily. He got to his feet, using Neil’s arm to pull himself up and went to the sink, walking as if he was a zombie risen from the dead. He washed out his mouth quickly and spat the mouthwash back in, not acknowledging Neil at all despite the way his fingers were still curled in Neil’s shirt sleeve. Then, he flushed the toilet and sighed.

"Good morning, Josten."

Neil silently handed him a bottle and a cap, full of medicine to settle his stomach. It barely helped, but there was nothing either of them could do about it.

"Do you want to stay in here for a while longer?"

"No, I thought I’d throw up in our bed instead for a change." Andrew scowled, and then clenched his fist as Neil looked unamused. "No, but stay."

Neil touched the back of his neck briefly and nodded, wrapping a towel around his shoulders. "Hey, it's only another couple of months..."

"Fuck off. Only another seven months... it's been four already and I'm dying, Josten, _dying_."

Neil shook his head and kissed Andrew's hair, pressing a damp cloth to his hair. "You can do this, baby."

"I can't. I’m not even sure I _want_ to anymore." He leaned down to look at his stomach. "You're making daddy want to kill himself. Aren't you? _Aren't you?_ "

Neil rolled his eyes and put a hand on his stomach. "Don't listen to him, he's just being dramatic."

"I hope you appreciate what I'm going through, you sick little fuck."

"Morning sickness doesn't last the entire time either, this will pass within the next few weeks." Neil brushed his hair back again, and Andrew pointedly ignored how good it felt.

"Yeah yeah, I know. I just wish you could carry it for me." groaned Andrew as he walked to the main room to sit on the couch.

"Me too." Neil followed him out.

"Oh, you don't want to carry this little shit. Count yourself lucky."

Neil snorted and then picked Andrew's feet up, dropping them on his lap. “Yeah, yeah. You can’t wait to be a dad, Drew. Foot rub?”

 Andrew nodded and wiggled his toes, so Neil started to rub them gently, letting Andrew turn on their television. There wasn’t anything on at this time of night besides old reruns, but they weren’t really watching it. "If it meant you didn't have to, I would."

"I wouldn't let you."

Neil smiled at him, and then worked on a particularly sore spot, making it feel much better. "Because you like me?"

Andrew moaned. "Because then, I wouldn't get pity, or presents. Ah- right there..."

Neil smiled and kept massaging his feet until he had worked out all of the sore spots. "Anywhere else?"

He kissed Andrew's hands gently and then his face.

"My thighs fucking hurt."

Neil nodded and settled himself between them, pausing to make sure that it was okay before kneading and massaging his thighs gently, trying to do the same as he had before. Andrew was getting noticeably bigger now, so it was a harder position to manage, but he did it anyway, working out the tension in Andrew's thighs.

"Yeah, that's it... and if you had the baby I wouldn't- ooh- I wouldn't be able to get this, so..."

Neil laughed, and tried his best to coax those noises out of his boyfriend, working out the aches and pains that had built up. "Is that good?"

"Mmmh, yep, yep, perfect." Andrew huffed, his voice heavy with tiredness as he was finally able to relax. Neil pushed him back gently, propping his back with a pillow.

"You look really handsome, by the way."

"Shut up. You too."

Andrew looked pale, and slightly green, and it made Neil’s chest hurt. He frowned, and then ran a finger along Andrew's jaw. "Do you need me to get you a bucket?"

"No, I can get myself to the bathroom. Thanks, though.” Andrew sighed, and Neil barely caught the last part of his sentence. “You mean so much to me."

He cleared his throat and raised his voice again. "I don't want to go to classes, they start too early."

"Then don't, I can get the work for you." Neil kissed him quickly and then rolled his eyes. “I’ve been offering for _weeks_ , Drew.”

Andrew didn’t respond, and Neil allowed him to fall asleep again, hoping that he’d at least get a few more hours before he woke up again to get sick.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Aaron hadn't been responding to her texts. Nor had he called her back. Instead, the only things he'd spent time with since he found out about his brother were his books. He had to study up if he wanted to become a proper doctor, y'know. It was _perfectly reasonable_.

Except, it wasn't.

Katelyn tried his phone again, before throwing it down on the bed. Aaron had been ignoring her for almost two weeks, and she had no idea what she'd done to push him away. At first it had been fine, they'd both had a lot of study to do, but then he started ignoring her altogether.

There was only one thing for it.

She grabbed her bag, shoving her phone and keys into it, before putting it on her back. She could vaguely remember the directions to the house in Colombia, and that was where Aaron had been hiding recently. She had even asked Nicky, but he wouldn't tell her anything else.

It was only an hour's cab ride away, and in no time at all she was waiting outside the door, having knocked loudly.

"Answer the fucking door, Aaron."

Aaron tugged his earbuds out at the sound of the rapping at the door. _Must be the pizza guy_ , he thought as he went down to answer it.

"Hey- Kate?"

He paled. At least he had the decency to look ashamed. Katelyn raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you remember me?"

"Yeah- look, yeah, I remember you, of course, it's just a bad time right n-"

She swallowed hard, and then cut him off. "No, that's not _fair_ Aaron. It hasn't been a good time for almost two weeks now, and I don't know what's wrong. Are you-" She frowned and pulled her bag back up onto her shoulder. "Are you mad at me?"

Aaron looked a _mess_. He'd been wearing the pyjamas for three days, and it showed. He'd also skipped out on the study lectures he'd had that week, and from the musty smell inside he clearly hadn't gotten out of the house in a while. His entire appearance was dishevelled as he shook his head.

"No, no-no-no, of course not..."

"Then what... If this is some fucked up way to make me dump you so that you don't feel bad, it's not working." She wrinkled her nose, and then put her hands on her hips. "Have you showered today?"

"What day is it?" He lifted his arm and sniffed at his shirt. Katelyn grimaced.

"It's Thursday. We had labs today, you didn't show up."

"Okay, I haven't showered since Monday. I've lost track of time, I'm sorry. I… I don't want you to dump me Kate that's not..."

Katelyn's pissed off expression softened, and she took a step forward, pushing past him and dragging him inside. "Come on."

Aaron allowed himself to be dragged, too tired to bother resisting. She turned on the shower as soon as she reached his bedroom, and then looked over at the state of Aaron's room. The bed wasn’t made, the sheets balled up and pushed off to the side, and books and paper were scattered on the desk and the floor surrounding it. Take out containers were littering the floor too, and she sighed.

"Aar... what's wrong? Why didn't you call me?"

"I've been… busy."

He'd barely gotten through one chapter in the past few days, and that had been hard work.

"Too busy for your girlfriend?" She sounded annoyed, and she rifled through his drawers for fresh clothes for him. "I'm sure you could have spared the time for a phone call."

She turned around, and Aaron saw how much it had bothered her. "A text- fuck, a poke on facebook! _Anything_ , Aaron."

She opened the curtains, illuminating the wreck that was Aaron's bedroom, and he squinted as the sun hit his eyes.

"Well, I'm just a shitty boyfriend then aren't I? Always have been, always will be. Why do you even bother with me?" Aaron pulled the curtains closed again, zipping up his hoodie and hugging himself.

Katelyn pushed them open again, and pulled Aaron towards the bathroom. "Because I fucking love you, asshole. Now shower, you _stink_."

Aaron tugged his hoodie off before shaking his head and leaning against the sink. "I don't deserve your love, Kate, I'm useless to you. I can't be the man I wish I could, and that's my fault. I'm sorry for putting you through my shit like that."

Katelyn took a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair. "We'll talk after, okay? Just go shower."

Aaron pulled his shirt over his head and undressed, stepping into the shower and hesitantly washed himself. Katelyn tidied up the room as he did, getting everything squared away and fixing his bedsheets. Then, she opened the window to let in fresh air and sighed. She should have done this much earlier, even if it had been Aaron’s fault for dodging her calls.

Aaron eventually stepped out, pulling on a pair of fresh boxers and heading out to her. "I'm sorry, Katie."

She looked him over, and then smiled weakly. "You look better, Aar. What's wrong, though? You're not usually this...  self destructive."

"I just..." He sighed. "I'm not good enough for you Kate. You know Andrew is- he's- he's pregnant. And I'm... you know."

Katelyn frowned. "You're..."

Aaron paused, and then took a deep breath. "You know we've been trying to have a kid of our own yeah?”

Katelyn blinked. "Uh, yeah. Why? Are you… alright?"

"I can't. Not that I'm not ready. I'm ready. I just- I'm not able." He winced, and then scratched at the scruff he had grown over the few days he had spent hiding. "...physically. I can't do it."

Katelyn's eyes widened marginally, and she took a step towards him. "Oh, Aaron..."

He stepped back. "Don't. I'm not able to be the guy you want. I'm just not good enough at all for you. I'm not good enough and you deserve better."

She stopped, and then frowned. "What? That's not true."

She shook her head and reached out to take his hand. "It doesn't... There are other ways to have kids, you know?"

Aaron knew that she had been looking forward to having kids though. He shook his head. "It doesn't matter, I can't have kids the way you want to."

"So, what, you wanted to leave me? Because you can't have kids?" She gripped his hand tight. "I want to have kids with you, asshole. If it won't happen, then we find another way."

Aaron's voice cracked, and he shook his head. "I wanted to leave you, so I wouldn't have to let you down, like I do everyone else."

Katelyn tugged him towards the bed, letting him sit down and wrapping a hoodie around him. "Aaron, you're not letting me down."

Aaron made a grumbly noise. "I am, though."

Katelyn rolled her eyes and then moved to sit up on the bed. "Hey, babe. Look at me?"

He did as she said. She pressed a kiss to his lips, and then sighed. "You're not failing at anything. Except maybe biology labs, but I have the notes for those."

"You do?" Aaron sighed. "You don't have to take care of me, I'm..."

"You're my boyfriend." Katelyn smiled and then shook her head. "I was so worried about you, Aar. I thought there was something bad happening, I..."

She pulled back to tie her hair up into a messy ponytail. "We can look at our options, yeah? There are plenty of other ways to have kids nowadays, and it doesn't matter to me as long as it's with you."

He sighed. "I'm sorry about that. I guess I'm just bad at this whole communication thing. Thank you for being the best, as always, Kate..."

Katelyn shrugged. "It's a gift. Now come on, you need to eat something that isn't out of a packet."

"I absolutely do not."

Katelyn rolled her eyes. "I'll make you those grilled vegetables you liked last time?"

He grinned sheepishly. "...Sure..."

She laughed and then kissed him again. "Come on then, Minyard."

 

 

 

Neil was fucking exhausted. Andrew had woken him every night for the last two weeks, and he had been running himself into the ground at practice, barely able to keep himself on his feet. More often than not, he slept between classes, or during them.

He knew it wasn't Andrew's fault, of course it wasn't. But sometimes, when Andrew was being particularly grouchy, it got to be a little too much for him.

"Andrew, can you just shut up for a bit, yeah?" He rubbed his face, and sat on the couch, blinking fast to keep his eyes open.

Andrew's gaze held on him and he stopped, in the middle of the rant he had been giving about how his clothes were barely fitting anymore. He furrowed his brow. "Uh, what?"

"I get it, it sucks, but Jesus fuck, Drew."

Neil looked _so_ tired.

"...Okay. Sorry." Andrew mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck and getting up, "I'll just go take a shower, see you in... in a bit."

His voice was quiet, and Neil immediately felt his stomach sink. He hadn’t meant to upset him, he had just had a rough day. Still, he couldn’t un-say it. He groaned, standing up as Andrew was leaving. "Wait, Drew-"

The door slammed shut and he winced, before going to follow him. He heard the shower turn on, and the door was locked.

"Andrew? Baby, I'm sorry..." Neil put a hand up to the door and then rested his forehead against it. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

"No, you're right," came from behind the door, and he heard some shuffling of fabric.

"No, I'm not I was just stressed, and I spoke without thinking.” He put his hand on the handle. "Can I come in?"

He heard the door unlock.

He pushed the door open and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "I had absolutely no right to say that to you. You're in pain, and you’re as tired as I am."

Andrew wasn’t wearing his binder, and Neil averted his gaze to avoid making his boyfriend uncomfortable. He heard him huff quietly, almost drowned out by the water.

"You can look, and no, you're right. I'm just pissed because it's- I can't fucking look like a dude."

Neil frowned. "What? You do look like a dude, Drew."

Andrew grimaced at his reflection in the mirror and turned pointedly away to glare at the wall. "I look like a pregnant woman, Neil. Short hair just makes me look like a fucking lesbian. _And_ , I can't bind. And I don't even know if I want this piece of shit kid now, but I can't change my mind, can I?"

Neil blinked, and then stepped forward, getting a little wet from the water. "Andrew, you look masculine no matter what. After the baby comes you can go back to binding, and your regular shots..."

He took a shaky breath, blowing it out after. "You're not sure if you want it?"

"It's just- it's so fucking painful, Neil." Andrew’s voice was raw from lack of sleep, and it physically hurt Neil’s heart to hear it like that.

Neil sighed, and then pulled his shirt off, stepping into the shower and picking up Andrew’s vanilla shampoo. "Let me help- I know, I'm so sorry... I wish I could do it instead."

"I don't want your help, Josten."

"Andrew, it hurts for you to raise your arms too much."

"Everything hurts, and I fucking do it anyway."

"I know!" Neil sighed and rook a deep breath. "I know, Andrew."

Andrew gritted his teeth and crossed his arms, covering his chest. "I'm fucking tough, so just forget it, I'll shut up and be a good wife and have kids and do the dishes and hate myself forever and ever, okay?"

Neil raised an eyebrow, and stepped back. "What the _fuck_ , Andrew?"

"Nothing. Nothing, that's not you, that's- that's just what I'm worried I'll have to be like." Admitting things like this didn’t come easily to Andrew, and it showed.

Neil stared at him, before stepping closer to him. "You're the kid’s father, and we don't have to get married. If you don't want the kid, we'll deal with that, find somewhere for it, but I will not make you do something you don't want to. I won’t be like them, Andrew."

"Right. I- I do want it. I just, I don't want to be the w-" He stopped, and then tried again. "I don’t want to be the husband, the father, who does nothing but take care of the kid. I'm going to love them, but I... I can't do that."

"Then don't, I can do the things you don't want to." Neil sighed. "Andrew, I don't want you to change because of this. You won't have to do anything you don't want to."

Andrew whimpered. "I'm scared, Neil.”

Neil nodded and wrapped an arm around him. "I am too, but we've gotten through worse than this. We'll find a way to make it work, we always do."

"Well, we are the best power couple exy has to offer, hm?"

Neil laughed. "Don't let Kevin hear that, he’d throw a fit."

"Let him. Okay, you can wash my hair if you like."

Neil smiled, and then ran his hands through Andrews hair. "You're so handsome, you know that?"

"Shush, you."

"Make me?" Neil brushed a kiss against his lips gently. "For real though, you look extremely masculine, Drew."

"I don't. I don't want you to pretend that I do, either. Just be here with me."

"I'm not pretending." He didn't argue the point further though, instead scratching Andrew's scalp before rubbing his back gently. He hated that Andrew was going through this shit, but all he could really do was be there with him. Still, he wasn’t happy about it.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

 

It wasn't often that Aaron popped up on Neil's phone, buzzing and asking to be picked up. So, when one morning on his way to classes, his phone lit up with the contact name “Less cool twin.”, Neil was more than a little intrigued.

He thought about rejecting the call and just continuing to class, but pure curiosity prompted him to answer the call, stopping by a doorway to press the phone to his ear. "What's up?"

"Neil? Hi." Aaron paused, apparently hoping Neil would enthusiastically initiate conversation. When that never came to fruition, the blonde sighed over the phone. "Okay, I wanted to ask you if you're free today, or tomorrow. Any day, really, for coffee."

Neil looked at the building in front of him. He really didn't want to go to Modern Algebra, even hanging out with Aaron was better than _that_. "I'm free this period and next, I guess? Do you want me to bring Andrew?"

"No, just you. Do _not_ tell Andrew."

Well, that was suspicious.

Neil blinked. "Uh, yeah. Okay. That coffee place near the library? I can be there in ten minutes or so."

"I'll be there in five. See you.” The other Minyard hung up on him, and Neil stared confusedly at the screen before starting to make his way towards the coffee shop. Aaron was standing outside the place in a brown turtleneck and thin round rim glasses. He had a grey backpack on, his posture indicating that he had barely anything in there.

He tilted his head when he saw Neil approach.

Neil was dressed in his usual clothes, which meant that he looked kind of like a disaster. Less of one now that Andrew was dressing him, but he _had_ just rolled out of bed. "Aaron. Are you okay?"

"No. Yes. I'm happy to see you, I guess." he said, no emotion leaking into his voice. "Will you get us a table? I can order, and I'll pay for us."

Was this the Twilight Zone all of a sudden? Neil was slightly uncomfortable. "Just black coffee, thanks."

He made his way to an empty table, and sat down. He wanted to text Andrew, but he had promised Aaron that he wouldn’t tell Andrew he was with him. Aaron eventually returned with his iced latte, putting Neil's drink in front of him and sitting down awkwardly.

"So. How are you?" Neil took a sip of his coffee and then set it down again.

"I just wanted to check in, since I'm the uncle and all. Andrew hasn't told me much..."

Wait, what? Andrew had told Neil already that he was constantly updating Aaron. Something wasn't adding up.

"I'm... good? Andrew's okay, still not sleeping well, but at least the morning sickness is mostly over... I thought he told you?"

"No? No. He- he hasn't. He doesn’t like to talk about it with me."

"But he said-" Neil frowned, and then picked at his sleeve. "Huh. He's okay, anyway. Are you sure you’re okay?"

"Uhm, I wanted to ask you a favour, actually." Aaron’s voice shook slightly, and he sipped his coffee.

"A favour."

"I was hoping... I was wondering if you'd consider making me... making me the godfather." Aaron was staring at his drink. He almost looked afraid to meet Neil's gaze, and Neil’s brain almost tripped over itself trying to process what he had just been asked.

He paused, his coffee sitting in front of him. "Well... who else would we have picked, Aaron?"

Aaron looked up quickly. "Wait, really? It's- it's just, since he first got the pregnancy test, Andrew, he... he's worried if he involves me it'll upset me. On account of me and Katelyn and all."

"You and Katelyn?" Neil blinked. “What about you and Katelyn?”

Aaron went silent. "Andrew's never told you?"

"... No? We don’t tell each other everything, Aaron." Neil shrugged. “It was none of my business.”

Aaron nodded slowly, and sipped his coffee. "Okay. Uhm. Me and Katelyn have been trying for a kid for a really long time. But it didn’t- it won’t work. I'm... I'm infertile."

Neil swallowed, and then took a drink. "...Oh. I'm sorry, Aaron."

"Don't worry about it. So now Andrew is reluctant to involve me, and I figured you didn't like me anyway so…." he chuckled dryly, "I was ready to beg you."

"Actually, I chose you as the godfather, Andrew chose Renee as the godmother." Neil met Aaron’s eyes and chuckled. “She was overjoyed when he told her.”

Aaron drummed his fingers on the table. "What was Andrew's reaction to when you chose me?"

_What? Why? You don't even like him._

"The same as yours." Neil chuckled lightly. "I thought about making Matt godfather, but..."

He hummed softly, and stirred his coffee with his finger. “I figured that if you and Andrew drifted apart, it would give you an excuse to come back and visit."

"Give me an excuse to come back? What the fuck, Josten." Aaron's cheeks were a pale pink now.

Neil nodded. "Andrew loves you, I want you to be part of his life, and by extension mine and the baby's."

Aaron smiled softly and then nodded. "Have you thought of any names?"

"Andrew wants to keep the gender a surprise, so we're going to stick to neutral names... what do you think?"

"Yeah, sure. Have you thought of any so far though?"

"I like Noah, Andrew likes Alex..."

"Those are really nice, Neil." Aaron nodded. “I think I prefer Noah, though.”

"That's the first nice thing you've ever said to me." He chuckled softly, and then paused, clearly thinking something. "You could adopt?"

"I'd... maybe. I don't know." Aaron sighed. “Katelyn says the same thing, but I’m just worried.”

"You and Katelyn would be good parents, I think."

"You think?"

Neil nodded and then chuckled. "I really do, who would have thought?"

Aaron laughed, despite himself.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Aaron had no idea what he was doing, showing up at Andrew's door in the middle of the day. He knew Neil wasn't there, since he was busy with his midterm exams, so he also knew that Andrew was alone in the apartment.

That didn't sit well with him.

He knocked on the door before he could talk himself out of it, and then waited for his brother to answer the door. The lock clicked, and the door swung open. Andrew was almost like a reflection in the mirror, if his reflection was heavily pregnant.

Same hair, similar sense of style, though. He didn't smile. "Oh, Aaron. Hello."

"Andrew." He nodded. "Can I come in?"

"Why do you want to?" Andrew tutted. "Sure."

He stepped aside. Aaron stepped around him, and then took his hands out of his pockets. "Neil has exams?"

"He does indeed, yes."

Aaron could hear noise coming from the kitchen. Was Andrew cooking?

He turned towards it, before raising an eyebrow at Andrew. "Keeping yourself entertained?"

"Trying to make spaghetti. It's turning out truly spectacular."

Aaron chuckled and then shoved his hands in his pockets. "I..." he stopped, and then shook his head. "I just wanted to stop by, to see how you are."

"I know that tone of yours. What's on your mind?"

Andrew walked to the kitchen, tending to the pasta and then coming back out to sit with his brother. Aaron sat on the side of the couch, and he looked up as Andrew came in. "You guys are making me godfather? Neil told me."

Andrew paused a moment before continuing to stir. "We are."

"Why?"

"Who else would we have picked?" That was exactly what Neil had said.

Aaron sighed. "I figured Kevin, or Matt, since you and Neil never really... seem to like me that much."

"Of course I like you, you're my brother. I wouldn't let Matt or Kevin anywhere near my child." Andrew looked disgusted at the mere thought. “What if Kevin tried to make them watch Exy?”

"But you'd let me?" Andrew rolled his eyes and nodded. Andrew persisted, though.”

"Neil hates me, though."

"Don't be stupid."

"How the hell am I stupid?"

"Because you're saying he hates you. He doesn't. Don't say stupid shit like that around my kid."

Aaron huffed a laugh and then went to the kitchen, sniffing before making a surprised face. "That actually smells edible, Andrew."

Andrew followed him and nodded, getting a spoon to stir it with. "Can you pass me that salt cracker thing over there?"

Aaron nodded and picked it up handing it to him gently. "Neil thinks Kate and I should look into adoption."

It wasn't a question, but it didn't have to be. Andrew chewed his lip. It wasn't awkward, right?  "Do you want to?"

Aaron shrugged and pulled his sleeves down. "I mean, I would have preferred... but I can see the appeal of helping out a kid that needs a home."

"You can see the appeal. Does that mean you don't actually want to, Aaron?"

"I don't know, Andrew, I just..." He gritted his teeth and took a breath. "It's my fault, not hers. I don't want her to miss out, because of me."

Andrew added some sort of herbs and spices to the pasta. He then sighed and leaned back to look at Aaron. "Look. Neil respects you. I respect you. And Aaron, we both know that you can't blame yourself."

"Can't I?"

"No. You didn’t _ask_ to be infertile.”

Andrew held his out and intertwined his fingers with Aaron's. It was a new thing he was trying, being… compassionate. Caring, even. It was weird.

"I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry. It must really be... it must be awful, for you not being able to do this. You shouldn't have to adopt if you don't want to, but if you do... you could adopt a kid, and make their life better.”

Andrew sighed. "You'd be a great father, I guess."

Aaron blinked, looking like a deer caught in headlights. "You- What? You think so?"

"Yes. Don't make me repeat it."

Aaron smiled a little, and then chuckled. "You're going to be a great dad, Andrew."

"Shut up. I'm sorry I didn't want to make you godfather."

"Who would you have picked?"

"You don't want to know that." Andrew rolled his eyes and opened the crockery drawer, stretching upwards to reach the plates. Aaron got to his feel quickly, going to help him. It wasn’t much help, since they were the same height, but it was appreciated nonetheless.

"I do."

Andrew hummed. "I... was going to ask Nicky. It's a tough pill to swallow but I think the kid will like him."

Aaron swallowed and then nodded. "He probably deserves it more."

"Shut the fuck up.” Andrew put the plates down on the counter. “Pathetic isn’t a good look on you, and I prefer you anyways.”

"You prefer me?"

"Yes. I trust you. I'm holding your hand right now because I trust you, hm?" He shook their joined hands for emphasis.

"I thought you were holding my hand because yours are cold." Aaron chuckled and then dropped his hand. "How's the baby?"

"Good. Healthy. Haven't smoked in eight months. Fucking sucks."

Aaron snorted. "Probably a good idea to never smoke again, Drew. Bad for your lungs, and all that. Do you think it'll look like us? Or Neil?"

"I don't know. Does it matter?”

Secretly, Andrew had been hoping for the child to look more like Neil, but no one needed to know that.

"Neil is probably hoping for them to look like you, y’know."

"He said he doesn't care." Andrew shook his head. "Sorry, I know you don't like talking about this-"

"What? I never said I didn't like talking about things like this. And you said you didn't care about him, that doesn't make it true."

Andrew scrunched his face up but nodded. "Right. Sorry. And I do care about him. I do- yeah."

“Yeah, no shit.” Aaron sounded almost affectionate, and he grabbed a plate. “Do you need any help?”

Andrew dished out two plates of spaghetti and poured a generous helping of Bolognese over it. “Go, sit down and eat this.”

Aaron rolled his eyes and grabbed cutlery. “Thanks, Andrew.”

 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

 

_You and Josten, my office, now._

Wymack rarely texted Andrew, so it caught his attention more than it would if it had been someone else. Only fractionally, but still.

"Who is it, babe?" Neil poked him with his foot gently, looking up from his magazine.

Andrew squinted. "Uhm, nothing... important, just coach. He says we have to get to his office, now?"

Neil frowned. "What do you think he wants?"

"I have no idea. Did you do something? Did you get us in trouble?"

"Why is it my fault!?"

Andrew raised an eyebrow. “When isn’t it your fault?”

Neil huffed and then got up, grumbling and grabbing his clothes. "Want me to get your shoes, babe?"

Andrew had been finding it hard to bend over, recently, much to his annoyance. He went to get up, groaning and managing to get to his feet. "No, I can get them- agh, oof, okay."

Neil chuckled and got him his shoes, helping him to put them on and pressing a kiss to the inside of his knee. "You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. You're a pain in the ass Josten, but sometimes I suppose you're not entirely a waste of space."

"Yeah, yeah, you're just saying that because I bought you ice cream." He helped him to his feet, and then got him a hoodie. They had ordered a larger foxes hoodie for him to wear, even if Neil stole it most of the time. It almost covered the bump. Almost.

Andrew sighed as they stepped outside and he shivered. "Why, coach, why."

Neil took his hand and started walking. "Come on, the doctor said fresh air is good."

"The doctor also said that lying down was good."

Neil grinned, and then led him down the steps, before pitying him and letting them take the elevator. "I wonder what he wants."

"I bet it's absolutely mundane."

It didn't take them long to get to the court, and Neil let them in with the keys Wymack had given him. "Yeah, maybe."

The court was dark, but they could hear the sound of people talking.

"What's going..." Andrew shook his head and stopped. "Wait, is this, is this a-“

Neil pushed the door open to Wymack's office, and they were immediately bombarded with people cheering at them. The room was decorated well, and the team was all there, dressed up and drinking happily. Streamers were taped to the wall, and Neil’s eyes widened as he took it all in.

"Hey, Andrew, hey Neil!" Allison grinned and raised her glass to them. “Welcome to your baby shower!”

"Everybody... here. Hello.”

Allison laughed and walked over, holding out a glass to him. "Surprise? Non-alcoholic, of course."

Everyone seemed really happy, and a table laden with presents was sitting in the corner, some wrapped, some not.

"Is this for real? I told you not to-" Neil handed Andrew the drink, who then downed it in one go, "-throw me a baby shower."

"Well we did anyway!"

Nicky and Renee walked over and smiled, both congratulating him, and Nicky trying to hug him. Andrew allowed Nicky to hug him, nodding. "Okay- okay. Just this once, Hemmick."

Neil chuckled and squeezed his hand, before going to get him another drink, and cake.

Nicky grinned eagerly. "I can't wait to be an uncle…”

"You're going to be a great one," Andrew managed, before anyone could tell Nicky that that wasn’t how it worked.

"You think so?" He sounded like he was going to cry.

Andrew knew he had to do it, and he coughed. "Yeah, the kid will love you. I'll even let you babysit."

Nicky sniffed wetly and hugged him again, tighter this time. Neil huffed a quick laugh as he got nearer, winking at Andrew and holding up the cake for him.

Andrew shook his head as he went to his boyfriend, taking the cake eagerly. He kept his voice to a whisper, so as not to cause drama. "I don't want this, Neil.”

Neil hummed. "I can ask them to stop, if you want."

The music was good, they had stolen one of Andrew's workout playlists to make sure Andrew liked the music, and everyone was dancing to it happily. Aaron was dancing with Katelyn and smiling genuinely. That didn't happen often. Andrew looked around and sighed. "I don't want to kill the buzz. Everybody's having fun. What am I supposed to do right now?"

Neil smiled softly and kissed him, prompting a wolf whistle from the crowd. "I can grab you a chair?"

"Hello, Andrew." It was odd to see Bee outside of their scheduled appointments, but she was smiling widely as she sidestepped the table and come over to stop in front of the couple. "It's been a while."

Andrew had been missing appointments, since they often clashed with regular doctor's visits. "Hi, Bee. Sorry. The baby, you know?"

Andree coughed awkwardly but smiled genuinely regardless. "It's nice to see you, actually."

She nodded and sipped her tea. "You seem very happy, Andrew. Fatherhood suits you."

"I guess it does.” He shrugged. “I don’t know whether I’m more excited or terrified, though.”

"Is there that much of a difference, in this context?" She smiled and then pushed her hair back. "When are you due?"

"A month or so..."

She nodded and then looked around. "This is a lovely party. Don’t you agree?"

"I suppose I'm grateful that everyone... cares this much."

She beamed at him, and he felt himself relaxing again. "That's really good, Andrew."

He felt arms wrap around his waist, and Neil leaned on him slightly. "Come on babe, they have a chocolate fountain! I told Allison is was your favourite, so…"

Andrew let himself be led into the crowd of people, and he supposed that the warm feeling in his chest was contentment.

 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

 

"Neil!"

Five in the morning. Neil groaned into the pillow and glared in the direction of the bathroom door, ajar and letting some light into the bedroom.

"What?" His voice cracked, and he groaned. "Are you okay?"

Andrew had been waking up more often recently, so he didn't think much of it.

"Neil, hurry, clothes on, Neil- Neil!"

Neil, who had been almost falling asleep again, sat up straight and then pushed himself out of the bed, grabbing clothes. "What's happening!?"

He pulled on sweatpants, not sure whether they were his or Andrew's, before pulling on a hoodie with nothing underneath and grabbing his sneakers. Phone in hand, he got to the bathroom and opened the door.

"Neil, my fucking water broke, oh my god, I'm- Neil!"

He was leaning on the side of the sink, deathly pale and shaking. There was a fairly sizeable puddle around his feet, soaking into his socks.

"Neil Neil Neil, it's happening," whimpered Andrew, "I'm not ready, I can't be, this-"

Neil grabbed his hand. "Fuck, fuck... we've got to get to the hospital, can you stand?"

He helped Andrew to his feet, letting the man lean on him heavily as they walked out of the bathroom. It took them longer than usual to get to the car, since Andrew had difficulty walking and Neil had to grab their bags and keys, but to Neil it felt like just a few seconds before they were on the road, Andrew panting in the passenger seat.

"It hurts, Neil..." Andrew’s breathing was faster than normal, almost verging on hyperventilating and Neil didn’t know what to do about it.

He reached over and took his hand, holding it as he put the car in drive and stepped on it. "It's okay, you're okay... we'll be there soon, and I'll be with you the entire time okay?"

"Neil, am I ready? Are we..." He gripped Neil’s hand tightly, and if Neil hadn’t been so distracted, it would have probably hurt.

"We're ready, Drew, we're going to be okay, and we have lots of people to help if we need it, right?"

"Everybody will be so invested in our fucking lives, I don't know how I'm going to- to deal..."

"We can tell them to fuck off like we always do, I won't let them make you uncomfortable."

Neil turned sharply, speeding towards the nearby hospital.

"I can't wait to get this little shit out of me. First thing I'm d-doing is taking a damn smoke," groaned Andrew.

Neil chuckled and kissed his knuckled. "There's a carton and a lighter in my bag, don't worry."

"You're so good to me, you know that?"

Neil smiled and then turned into the entrance, finding a parking spot closer to the entrance. "You think I don't know how to love you by now?"

Andrew went red, and then gasped as a contraction hit him, full force and he doubled over. "Neil, hold my hand when we're walking in, and don't you fucking dare let go."

Neil nodded, but had to let go as he parked the car and helped Andrew out, grabbing their things and walking inside with him. He didn't leave him alone once, as the nurses took Andrew to the maternity ward, letting Neil change Andrew into his hospital gown.

Andrew seemed distant as he winced in the pain of it all. "Neil... are they going to call me a mother?

"They can fucking try." Neil squeezed his hand and kissed his temple. "Don't worry about that okay? Just relax right now, it'll be okay..."

'You don't need to make a fuss, sweetie, it's- I'm more concerned about getting it out of me."

Neil laughed, and then shook his head. "Just a few more hours baby, and then it'll be over... do you want me to call anyone? Aaron?"

"Aaron. Renee. Maybe Kevin. Whatever you feel..." Andrew groaned. "Get it _out_."

Neil nodded and rifled through his bag for his phone, turning it on and then biting his lip as he called Aaron for the first time in his life.

"...Hello? Neil, why are-"

"Andrew's in labour." Neil cut him off, impatiently. "Get Renee, Nicky and Kevin, text the others but tell them they can come later."

"Shit, okay. Kate?" Neil heard a groan in the background. "Get on the phone, call the others, I'll get our stuff ready."

Aaron then hung up, and Neil let go of the breath he had been holding. He dropped the phone and then tightened his grip on his boyfriend’s hand as Andrew gasped and groaned loudly from the bed he was in.

"Neil, names, now. Distract me from this bullshit.'

Neil smiled and then played with his fingers, humming. "Dan and Matt agreed that Alex would be good, and I think it's fitting because that was my name back when I was like 14... Aaron likes Noah, and Allison suggested Nicole?”

"We cannot name her Nicole. I think... I like Alex... but didn't you say you liked Noah?'

Neil hummed and nodded. "I think it's nice, Renee likes it too, and Allison even likes it."

"Maybe Noah, then."

Andrew lightly rubbed his tummy and sighed. "Do you like Noah, kiddo?"

Neil grinned, and then pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Not long more to go, Drew.”

 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

 

Neil had no idea how to deal with children, but that was the farthest thought from his mind as he held his daughter for the first time. His heart was in his throat, and he looked up at Andrew, red faced and sweaty. "Holy shit, Drew."

Andrew was in tears. Not tears of pain, from giving birth. Just seeing the little girl- hearing her crying, seeing that he had actually done something like that- had left him in bits. "Neil, she's beautiful..."

Neil nodded dumbly, moving closer as the baby girl made small noises. "You should... here..."

He lay the girl on Andrew's chest gently, and her tiny hand bumped against Andrew's chin as she settled into a comfortable position. Aaron and Kevin had arrived hours earlier, with Renee and Nicky in tow. The latter two were openly crying, and it seemed to be a close call with the former.

Andrew blinked. "She's... here in my arms."

Neil nodded, staring at her and holding Andrew's tight.

"Did you guys choose a name?" That was Aaron, his voice softer than it had ever been. Katelyn was sitting with him, and they looked happy for them, even if Neil knew it must have been hard for them.

"Did we, Josten?"

Andrew was too engrossed in his child to notice his brother.

Neil blinked as he remembered there were other people in the room. "Noah, we... Noah."

Noah made a small half cry, moving her arms a little where she was lying in Andrew's arms, as if she knew they were talking about her.

Katelyn smiled softly. "Suits her. Noah Minyard?"

"Unless you want a Noah Josten, Neil?" Aaron chuckled and took her hand.

"You could do both?" Renee approached the bed to sit on the other side of Andrew. "Josten-Minyard has a nice ring to it."

"Mmm... Noah Josten-Minyard... you're the one who's been a pain in my ass for nine months, hm?" Andrew smiled tiredly and rested his hand on the small of her back. She gurgled, and Neil felt something in his chest unwind.

Renee set a glass of water down on the bedside locker. "Noah is Hebrew for repose, or relief, did you know that? I think you both deserved some relief for once."

Andrew booped her nose and laughed, his voice rough from shouting. "It was worth it, kid..."

Neil kissed Andrew's hand, and then grinned. "She has your hair, Drew."

"Mm, she's perfect." Andrew’s fingers brushed her hair, and her face contorted as she yawned.

"Like her dad." Neil hummed, and then looked at the others. "Call coach, I guess? He should be here. Andrew, you should probably get some sleep too."

Noah was falling asleep again quickly, her soft breathing evening out.

"You're my little miracle, Noah..."

She gurgled and squirmed in his grasp. Andrew chuckled. "I'd kill for you.'

Neil leaned in and kissed the shell of his ear. "Want me to take her while you sleep, love?"

"Oh my god, yes please, she's heavier than I thought."

Neil laughed and lifted her gently, holding her in his arms and smiling down at her softly. The sight affected Andrew more than he'd admit to.

"Hey, Noah." He kissed her forehead before looking to Andrew. "Get some sleep, yeah? We've got her until you wake up."

Andrew nodded and closed his eyes, shaking his head. "I can't believe this..."

Neil laughed. "Believe it, babe."

He let Noah hold his finger as she fell asleep again, and Nicky offered to get them things from home while Andrew was asleep. Renee decided to go with him, and Neil said goodbye to them as he rocked the baby in his arms, letting her sleep against his chest.

The last things Andrew saw before he fell asleep were Aaron and Katelyn leaning against each other, and Neil fawning over their child. Everything was good.


End file.
